Genesis 39 - A Man Of Integrity Accused Of Rape

 

Joseph was taken down to Egypt. The Ishmaelites sold him to an Egyptian officer of Pharoah, who was the captain of the guard, by the name of Potiphar. The Lord made Joseph successful in the house of his Egyptian master. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and made him very prosperous in all that he did. Do people see God's favor in your life? Can you see God's favor in the lives of others? Joseph found so much favor in Potiphar's sight that he made Joseph the overseer of his house. All that he had, Potiphar put it under Joseph's authority. So, of course, Joseph served him faithfully. Under Joseph's authority as overseer of Potiphar's house, God blessed his house tremendously for Joseph's sake. All that Potiphar had in the house was blessed and all that he had in the field was blessed too. Potiphar trusted Joseph so much that he did not know all that he had except for the food he ate. I imagine that Potiphar was aware of all of his "assets" prior to buying Joseph, but now it seems that he doesn't even know how much God had blessed him since "the purchase". Has anyone ever trusted you that much? Have you ever trusted someone in your life so much that you would not question anything they did on your behalf?

Joseph was a very handsome young man. Potiphar's wife saw how good looking Joseph was and decided that she wanted to have an affair with him. She was brazen enough to demand that he have sex with her. Joseph, being a man of integrity, refused. He reminded her of how much Potiphar trusted him to the point that there was no one greater in the house than himself. Joseph told her that the only thing that Potiphar had kept from him, was her because she was his wife. Then, here is the "kicker", Joseph said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Joseph's greatest concern was not what Potiphar would think or do. He was more concerned about committing such wickedness and sinning against God? If we all thought like Joseph, there are a lot of sins we would have never committed! This woman was relentless in her pursuit of Joseph. Everyday, she was coming on to him, but Joseph, being that man of integrity, did not give in to her persistence to have sex with her. One day when Joseph went into the house to do some work and none of the men of the house were on the inside, Potiphar's wife grabbed Joseph's garment to try to make him have sex with her. In resisting her advances, he ran outside, but she managed to hold onto his garment. When she saw that she still had his garment, she called the men of the house and told the lie that Joseph tried to rape her and she cried out in a loud voice and when she did that, he fled, leaving his garment. Of course, it was the other way around; in actuality, she tried to rape him. Have you ever been falsely accused by the person who actually committed the offense? She held onto the garment until her husband came home and told him the same lie. Each time she told the lie, she made sure to state that Joseph was the Hebrew that Potiphar brought among them. When she told the lie to the men of the house, she said that Joseph was the Hebrew brought "to mock us" (Verse 14). Was she trying to incite the men to harm Joseph because he rejected her? When she told the lie to Potiphar she said "to mock me" (Verse 17). Of course, she had to make the lie more personal to her husband to incite anger in him. She achieved her goal, because when Potiphar heard the lie, he got very angry. Potiphar was so angry that he had Joseph put into the prison where the king's prisoners were confined. So, this innocent man of integrity, is now in prison.

First, the pit and now the prison - The Lord was with Joseph, even in prison. He showed Joseph mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. When God's favor is upon you, it is with you wherever you end up and through whatever you may have to endure. So, don't get discouraged in the midst of the trials and tribulations you may have to face. Satan's antics cannot and will not stop what God has planned for your destiny. The keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all of the prisoners. Whatever they did in the prison, it was under Joseph's management. The head prison guard did not even check into anything that was under Joseph's authority because the Lord was with him. God, again, made all that Joseph did, prosperous. Remember Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Do you love God? Joseph did. Are you one of "the called according to His purpose"? Joseph was.

As we journey on, we will see God's purpose for Joseph being in Egypt and all that he had to endure.

 Next stop - Genesis 40.

To God Be The Glory!